Thai Beef Drunken Noodles

Thai Beef Drunken Noodles combines rice noodles with thinly sliced flavored beef, thai basil, peppers, all dressed in delicious sauce with just the right amount of heat! A simple and easy weeknight meal that comes together in 20 minutes.

Drunken Noodles are also referred to as Pad Kee Mao. I once asked a waiter where the name drunken noodles came from; he told me its because the dish is so spicy it requires you to chug beer to tame down the spice. Sounds legit. When making this dish I did a bit more research and found that the dish was devised by someone who came home drunk and used whatever ingredients he had on hand to create the dish. Either way, if you’ve never tasted them before, the version I created is pretty ridiculously delicious!

I’ve mentioned before how much we love Asian food. Especially my kids, and when anything involves noodles, they are ALL over it! My 8 year old Miss Carbivore often helps me with my photo shoots, and always wants to be the first to taste something. She kept on shoveling the noodles in her mouth, that we had to do a re-plating of the dish. I call that a great endorsement!

You can do a few different variations with this dish. I used beef, but chicken, tofu, or even shrimp would taste delicious. Bean sprouts are sometimes used in drunken noodles, and the only vegetables I threw in here were peppers and carrots (favorites in our house). And, you can easily play with the amount of spice. I used small dried red chile peppers, that I re-hydrated by placing in hot water. They are a bit less spicy then typical fresh chili peppers. The recipe had a bit of kick, but was perfect! I use my kids to judge the level of spiciness and they were fine with it. Finally, Thai basil is your best option, but I have also made noodles with standard basil when I was unable to find Thai or holy basil.

Instructions

Prepare your rice noodles according to package directions. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat up a large wok or skillet to medium high heat. Add oil, and toss in ginger, garlic, peppers, and shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant, add beef. Cook beef for just a few minutes, making sure each side is browned, but not overcooked. Turn down heat to low.

Make your sauce by mixing together soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and fish sauce. Toss into skillet with beef. Mix in noodles and stir to coat. Finally toss in carrots and fresh basil (torn into pieces). Serve hot!

Recipe Notes

*Adjust the spice to your taste. 2 peppers is a more mild variation, 4 will make it more spicy, even add up to 6 peppers for really spicy.**Thai basil can be found in some grocery stores, or in an Asian grocery store. Regular basil can be used as a substitute if you are unable to find it.

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I’m Amy, foodie, nutritionist, recipe developer, wife, and busy mom of 2. I am on a mission to create everyday nutritious recipes that taste absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I love comfort food with a healthy twist. Follow me as I share the simple meals I make for my family. I’ll make meal planning easy by telling you exactly what we eat every week! Read More